I play Path of Exile and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at the moment. I’m big into MMOs like Guild Wars. I’ve also played DOTA2, Team Fortress 2, CoD: Modern Warfare 3 and A LOT of CS:GO.

How did you get the name mOTHER?

When we used to play Team Fortress 2, I wanted to be a funny guy and troll people using the name “Your mother” so that in the killcam it would say “Your mother killed you.” I got bored of that and wanted to shorten it to “Mother” but, I forgot my capslock on and the result just stuck with me.

Describe yourself in 5 words:

Friendly, Blunt, Honest, Loyal, Abrupt.

What other hobbies do you engage in other than gaming?

I started playing the ukulele about a year ago and started playing the guitar this year. Music is a big part of my life and I’d like to perform live music at some point in the future – although I’m not aspiring to make a career of it. I played rugby throughout school and golf since I was 2 years old. At the moment I am also studying industrial psychology, which keeps me very busy.

So how do you balance competitive gaming and life?

It’s really tough, as I work full-time and study. I used to game a lot more than I do now, but I know I can’t build a future on gaming, so I always put my priorities first. I like to focus on one competitive game at a time in this regard.

mOTHER plays for one of the top Rocket League teams in South Africa, under the Online Kingdom banner.

You recently finished third in the RLX 2v2, congratulations! In your experience, what did you think of these events?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to play in the RLX 1v1, as I had to travel to attend my brother’s wedding. I actually found a rig there and installed Rocket League just to play in the tournament, but as it turned out, the computer was quite the potato and I couldn’t get more than 20fps. The 2v2 event was organized extremely well. The admins were very active on the day, they interacted with us, answered questions and kept everything up to date. They were really on the ball that day. I don’t believe they could have done anything more to make the event better. It was done just right.

Describe your play-style to me:

I play very quick. I prefer to read the game and plan my moves as opposed to just reacting. I’ve played a lot of Solo Standard and I’ve learned to adapt to many situations very quickly. I do have bad days and can get sloppy on occasion.

How and when did your team meet, and where did you get the name?

The team was founded about two years ago and consisted of 1Perry, Anthem and Dan. I later on begged (literally begged) Perry to join again, and managed to coerce him into playing for DK again. At the same time that we were looking for a third, we found Lazybutt_Oz’s montage on Facebook and contacted him immediately. I got in touch with him and just straight up said to him “Dude, just get on our team.”

“I play very quick. I prefer to read the game and plan my moves as opposed to just reacting. I’ve played a lot of Solo Standard and I’ve learned to adapt to many situations very quickly.”

Describe your team’s play-style to me:

We are very consistent – always looking out for each other and relying on each other. Perry was my mentor from the beginning so I play a lot like him, and we are both strikers at heart. Over time we developed amazing synergy and we hoped that Lazy would take up a defending position when recruiting him. Lazy definitely rose to the occasion and is now our token defender. That said, we all rotate and adapt to the game pretty well, so none of us has a ‘permanent’ position on the field.

Congratulations on making it to the VS LAN championship! How do you feel about the big weekend?

We are happy about the way things turned out. I’m certain that the top 8 teams in SA are competing and each of them deserves to be there. We’re going in with the attitude that any team can beat us on any day, and we are going to play each game as if it’s our last.

Who will be in the team?

mOTHER, 1Perry, Lazybutt_Oz

Who is your favourite and who is your underdog for the VS LAN?

Favourite: Rocket Éclair.
Underdog: Dangerkids

Are you guys doing anything in particular to prepare for the LAN?

We’ve definitely stepped it up over the last few weeks. We’ve been incorporating a lot of strats, as I don’t think just putting in the hours is enough anymore. We’ve been watching pro streams, analysing what they do and comparing it to our own game.

About The Author

My name is Dane “Magoo” Carpenter and I am 23 years old. I founded and have been playing Rocket League for the team ‘red Neptune’ since January 2016. My passions include writing, gaming and technology, though I am enthusiastic about an abundance of hobbies from anime to cryptocurrencies to video editing. I have played an assortment of competitive gaming titles in South Africa, and have been a part of the ever-growing competitive scene for close to a decade. When I am not acting the fool, I am a calm and friendly person, and at least one out of every three of my jokes are funny.